Customer Reviews

Looking for X

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Khyber is living in poverty in a poor part of Toronto with her family. Her father abandoned them when Khyber's two autistic brothers were born. I can tell you, having an autistic child is not easy. Autistic children cannot look at you in the eye or even talk. Plus, it costs money for treatment. And you can imagine, with the shortage of money that Khyber's mother has, it would be hard to pay for treatments for two autistic children. But Khyber loves her brothers dearly and would never let anything bad happen to them. But one thing Khyber looks forward to in life is her friend X, who lives in the park. X is a very mysterious old lady who is intensely afraid of the secret police and will not tell Khyber her real name. When X suddenly dissapears, Khyber is devastated. She just had to find X. Her journey would probably be one of the scariest things that would ever happen to her. read on...

this book is really great. It connects with the side of kids which lots face but many will never know. Kyber's family is not very privelliged and to make matters even more challenging, her two young twin brothers are autistic and frequently need money for treatment. THis bbok proves how, as tough as a situation might be it still means to hang in there, suck it up and keep trying.

skye, 13

Khyber, 11 chose her name because in her words the one she was given at birth was "unmentionable." At no time do readers ever learn what name she had that she abhorred. She even renames her impoverished neighborhood in Canada "Pauper's Park" which would have been a more apt description of the place.

Her penchant for renaming others is extended to a homeless woman in a neighborhood park whom she calls X. She brings her food and chats her up when she is babysitting her younger brothers.

Her twin brothers, David and Daniel, 5 have infantile or Kanner's Autism. Both boys wear diapers and are nonverbal. David was named after former Monkee Davey Jones because their single mother is an avid Monkees' fan. I thought that was adorable and funny.

Khyber is not without challenges. She and her single mother learn to dodge social workers and other professionals who insist the boys need more care; she is the brunt of school bullies who torment her for being the youngest in her grade and worst of all, taunt David and Daniel. That is the one line Khyber won't allow anyone to cross. She defends her brothers like a tigress, attacking anyone who dares criticize them. The one funny part in this book was when David ran up to Khyber when she was in a school play. When her nemesis makes cruel comments about him, Khyber delivers her line with a swear thrown in for good measure prior to stomping off stage. I thought that was funny.

Things take a down turn when their mother decides to enroll the boys in a residential program. Khyber is accused of vandalism. She runs away and a group of female Elvis Impersonators come through so she doesn't serve time in Jailhouse Rock. She learns the lesson of "don't be cruel" and it is a return to Heartbreak Hotel with a rather bizarre ending.

I thought this book was just mediocre. If I could have rated it 2.5 stars, I would have.

My friend decided to read looking for x, and loved it. so i decided t give it a try. i loved it! from the minutte i picked it up i was hooked! i remember when i started to finish the last few chapters i felt so sad because i would never find a better book. khyber is such a wonderfum independent, determaned girl. tammy is such a loving mother, and the twins were so interesting. all the characters were incredible and easy to relate to on different levels. the setting was quite different, and even though she did grow up in a rough place you would still want to be there just for the feeling. the story line is incredible, there are always twists and you never knew what to expect. i like how it always changes and when one thing happens the changes the whole plot.

kyber is struggling at home with fianacial problems (her family is on welfare) because her to brothers are autistic and need expensive treatments.At school she has no friends her age and is constantly getting in trouble because of tiffany a school bully. her one and only true friend is X a mysterious homeless woman who kyber gives food to and talks to when she's upset but X rarely speaks back to kyber. X is very cautious and is afraid secret police are after her so she makes as little contact with people afraid hey are undercover cops. when X goes missing kyber sneaks out in the middle of the night in search for X in downtown toronto. she has no food or money or a place to sleep. read the book to find out more it's an awsome book.